Barcelona

The kids had this past week off of school so it was the perfect time for us to make a special trip to Barcelona! Chris' sister and her family (Paul, Mary, Thomas and Aidan) have been living in Barcelona since November so we were super excited to see them and check out their new city...and on top of that Chris' dad and one of his other sisters (Liz) were planning a visit at the same time so we were able to see a lot of family which only makes everything better!!

We drove to Zürich on Saturday (it's about a 1.5 hour drive from us) and then made the quick flight to Barcelona. Up until this point we've driven everywhere we've traveled so the kids are only used to the long international flights we've taken to and from the US. They were a little disappointed to see they didn't each have their own TV on the back of the seat in front of them, but were super pumped when they realized the flight was less than 2 hours! We had some of the most breathtaking views of the alps from our window. It was unreal.

I got to sit next to these cuties!

Above the clouds and near eye level with the alps. Swoon.

We rented a little Airbnb just around the corner from their apartment and it was perfect..minus the fact that it was on the 5th floor and there were no elevators. The kids weren't super pumped about that part! I think they're convinced we do things like this just to torture them! ha!

Exhausted faces after one of the treks up the stairs!

It was around 7:30pm by the time we arrived so we just dropped our stuff at the apartment and then headed to the Blaicher's to see everyone and hang out. 

Sunday morning we met up and headed to La Rambla to walk around and have brunch. We found a great little spot to eat and mid way through the meal we realized we had hit the jackpot and the restaurant we chose was a prime spot to watch a Carnival parade! It was so fun to watch the parade go by as we ate! The kids were all pumped!! Mary and Paul have two little boys (Thomas and Aidan) who are 3 and 15 months.

Chris bought thee for the kids a few years ago when he was in Barcelona for work. 

After a little bit of walking around we found a park for the kids to play at that was surrounded by restaurants so the adults grabbed a table nearby and enjoyed some beer and sangria while the kids played. I think this was honestly my most favorite part of the trip. Sunshine, happy kids and time with family. It was pretty great. 

After a bit it was time for our group to split up...Chris, Paul, Liz, Allie and Michael had tickets to the FC Barcelona game! 

We were on the other side of the metro heading the opposite direction as these guys headed to the game!

On Monday we had made plans for half of our group to visit Sagrada Familia. We decided to not bring the younger kids (Mary, Emily, Thomas & Aidan) so Chris and Paul stayed back with them since they had both been before and the rest of us went. I would also like to mention at this point that while I was very excited to see Sagrada Familia and share that with Allie and Michel, they were *ticked* that they "had" to come. Stinkers. Allie very quickly changed her tune once we arrived and started touring the beautiful basilica and was loving everything...Michael took a bit longer to warm up but ended up having a great time as well, he even asked if we could come back in when it is completed in 2026! Um...deal, buddy! It was made even more special that they got to experience this with their grandfather.

On Monday night Mary had arranged babysitters for all of the kids and the adults were able to go out to dinner. We had the best time! LOTS of Sangria (maybe a little too much??) yummy tapas and amazing company. It was such a fun night!

Chris's two younger sisters, Liz and Mary. We missed his sister Emily!!

Tuesday morning we ventured to Mount Tibidabo. Since we weren't visiting during the "peak" season the main method of transportation up to the top (the funicular) wasn't running so we had to take cabs. The views from the top were amazing and the church, Sagrat Cor, was something really special. We were able to wander and explore. Allie and I were even able to spend some time in eucharistic adoration. We weren't able to go all the way to the top because of the weather (I was surprised to see snow!) but even what we could see from the areas we were allowed to explore were pretty fantastic!

We left for the airport around noon on Wednesday and we were all sad to say goodbye to our family and this beautiful city. Thank you Paul and Mary for showing us around Barcelona!!! We had the best time!!!